Redo Of Healer was released back in 2021, and that’s when the controversy went into full swing knowing what waits on episode 3.
After all, the 3rd episode involved something most anime won’t dare to touch as far as sensitive content. That thing was rape.
It might be the most vile word in the dictionary, and one of the most vile things you could ever do to a person regardless of gender and regardless of the method.
That’s why Redo Of Healer is controversial by nature, and why there is a dramatic difference between those who hate it and those who have become fans.
So how is something like this justified?
How can you make sense of doing what Keyaru did (the MC) as far as storytelling and character writing in general?
Easy.
Let’s break it down without the added politics that are common on social media.
1. First of all, it’s pure fiction
Many anime shows, even when it comes to films, games, or other entertainment, gets off on seeing violence and justify it every single way they’re able to.
More so if it’s a man.
It’s the norm with horror movies, especially the savage ones, and it’s the same with violent anime where the guy tries to protect the woman from such violence.
It also happens in video games where men are being murdered or shot to death.
But this “justification” changes when it’s the woman on the receiving end, even if it’s fictional. Video games, anime, or otherwise.
Meaning it’s hypocrisy at its finest.
It shouldn’t matter either way since it’s purely fictional in the first place, regardless of how the visuals appear to be and in spite of the strawman arguments of “kids being encouraged” which never pans out on a mass scale.
Redo Of Healer is pure fiction as well, despite how dark, grim, and you could argue barbaric the actions of its characters may be.
In the case of R.D.O.H, the “barbaric acts” are initiated by a woman, a very important detail to the anime’s story and the MC’s motives and backstory.
Often a detail that conveniently goes ignored in an attempt to deflect from the issue (like what happened with Shield Hero).
2. Revenge is always justified in the eyes of the victim
Do you know what it feels like to desire to harm someone and feel no way about it because they hurt you?
Revenge is a thing most people can’t understand, and when they do, they pick and choose what type of revenge is “Ok” and which is not.
At the end of the day, when you hurt someone deeply, physically, and you do it deliberately to make them feel like shit, to traumatise, and to destroy their character, you can’t expect anything less than the worst punishment imaginable.
“Do the right thing” doesn’t work when you’ve been pushed over the edge emotionally, and the same rings true for Keyaru in Redo Of Healer.
- He was raped.
- Abused.
- Gang banged.
- Drugged.
- Manipulated.
- Enslaved.
And had the self esteem beaten out of him, literally, on countless occasions to make him fall in line as a teenager no less.
His innocence was robbed from him by the very people who pose as “saints” who liberate the world and protect the country from demons (a case of irony and hypocrisy).
This is why Keyaru went to the lengths that he did to:
- Gather knowledge.
- Develop a resistance to the drugs.
- Find a special artefact.
- Re-do time so he can get revenge.
- Tirelessly punishes himself to become stronger.
- And eventually, humiliate, batter, and r*pe the same woman who did 10X worse to him.
He then follows this up by wiping her memory, making her a clean slate, and then starting life over as if nothing ever happened. And she has no idea about his new companion (that “she” being Flare/Freya).
A twisted revenge plot you could say, or in the eyes of those who misuse “misogyny”, that word would be used here. Maybe even “incel” for those who know the anime since it’s a shaming tactic that comes from a place of emotions and not logic.
But either way, revenge is always justified in the eyes of the victim.
This is a fact of life, and it just happens to be depicted through an anime that doesn’t hold back on dishing out the aftermath of being traumatised for sadistic pleasure.
Related: Why Anime Fanservice Offends So Many Westerners
3. Sometimes watering down the story weakens the impact
There are times when some anime or other forms of media have watered down a story and it turns out good regardless (even if it could have been better without).
But in the case of Redo Of Healer, if they didn’t go all the way in showcasing the savagery, the impact wouldn’t have come close to how it ended up.
It’s not an anime that is gonna win anime of the century anytime soon, and it wasn’t mentioned in Crunchyroll’s “anime awards” either for political reasons.
Just like Goblin Slayer back in 2018/2019.
But the clear impact on the anime community, memes, if you value that, and the sheer popularity the anime gained online, none of it can be denied.
This is only because of how far the line was pushed by its author, regardless of how well the story was written or any other criticisms that have come with it as a result.
When the revenge is this savage, maybe the story being written so well isn’t the problem since the politically driven world we live in still wouldn’t accept it morally because of mental gymnastics, hypocrisy, shaming, or grandstanding.
"Unique customers will visit frequently, and you'll need to bring your A-game to win their favor and unlock exclusive rewards.
In the end, Redo Of Healer has made its mark on the anime community, even if its been pushed underground (it’s not like mainstream platforms are pushing it or ever will).
The “silent” impact, along with the justified revenge plot might be a hard pill to swallow, but it’s logical when you look at the context for what it is.
–
Recommended:
How World’s End Harem Exposes Society’s Double Standards (Like Redo Of Healer)
